O’Herlihy to ‘leave it there’ when next World Cup draws to a close

Some Sunday in early Jul 2014, the World Cup will be held aloft, but it won’t be the only seismic event in sport that day — Bill O’Herlihy will be vacating his anchorman’s chair for good.

Yesterday, the genial Corkman and doyen of sports broadcasters confirm-ed that when the trophy is hoisted at the Maracana, he will be taking his leave from our screens.

Last night O’Herlihy launched his autobiography, We’ll Leave It There So, written in collaboration with Irish Examiner journalist Ewan MacKenna, who last week won Sports Journalist of the Year at the National Newspapers of Ireland awards.

Among those gathered at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin for the launch were Taoiseach Enda Kenny, John Giles, and Eamon Dunphy — the latter penned the foreword for the book and writes: “Leave it there so? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The autobiography covers O’Herlihy’s career as a reporter with the Irish Examiner, his work in RTÉ current affairs, his switch to RTÉ Sport, and the ups and downs in his personal life. From doorstepping Neil Blaney on allegations of IRA gun-running to managing his PR company and keeping Dunphy in check, it’s all there. Over tea and gluten-free sandwiches yesterday, he said he was “lucky” to have entered sports broadcasting.

“I had no option,” he said, referring to the furore over his 7 Days money-lending programme which sparked a tribunal, not into the issue but the programme — “a witch hunt”.

When working in news he had a nervous moment, live on air, interviewing Ian Paisley in Ballymena, when the former DUP leader falsely believed Bill had been drinking, and said so, yet at all other times he has appeared unflappable.

O’Herlihy covered his first Olympics in 1972, but this summer’s was his last. Every two years he has been at the helm of World Cups or European Championships, moments of must-watch TV that he feels will continue despite the fragmentation of the medium.

“Sport will continue to become increasingly important in due course,” he said, adding that the rising cost of securing big events could be problematic for RTÉ.

He has few regrets. “I would have loved to have done a talk show,” O’Herlihy said. “I think I would have been good at it because I’m a good listener, but I’m not sexy, you see. I’ve never pushed myself, never in business or in television. Things happen to me by being in the right place at the right time.”

MC at the launch, Darragh Maloney, will be his successor.

“I’ll miss being part of a fantastic team,” O’Herlihy said of RTÉ’s football panel. “They are great fun to work with. I’ll miss being part of a really successful operation. I walk through the streets of Dublin, everybody knows me. But come a couple of weeks after Darragh takes over,” he said, waving his hand, “I’ll be yesterday’s man.”

I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Bill.